


An Unexpected Outcome

by Freedom_Shamrock



Series: MiraculousFluffMonth 2017 [27]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Identity Reveal, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Polyamory Negotiations, Relationship Discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 12:38:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock
Summary: Adrien asks Marinette out on a lunch date to see if she wants to date him in addition to Chat Noir.





	An Unexpected Outcome

**Author's Note:**

> This is a direct sequel to Walk the Walk, and it will definitely make more sense if you’ve read that one (and the other two that come before it) first. It is also the Miraculous Fluff Month's Aug 27 prompt, profound confession.

Adrien was waiting for her when she got to school the next day.  She'd long since learned to keep on top of her schedule, with the added Ladybug duties, which meant she was no longer habitually tardy.

"Hey Mari," he said, waving a little as he came down the steps to meet her.  "Could we do lunch together today?  There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh, sure."  She smiled brightly at him.  So this was actually a thing, and it was really happening.  A part of her found the whole thing just surreal.  "Is everything okay?"  He  **did** look nervous, and she knew how that felt, having had to lead this conversation twice, now.

He nodded.  "Yeah.  Everything's… great actually."  He was adorable when he blushed.  It was totally unfair.  "Want to head to class?" he asked.  "Nino and Alya went ahead… though to be fair, I think they're in the janitor's closet."

Marinette let out a laugh.  "First bell hasn't rung yet.  They're totally in the janitor's closet."  Her breath caught a little when he looped his arm through hers, though she couldn't see anything new or different in his grin.  Well other than the fact that it vaguely reminded her of another blond young man's grin.

* * *

"Who's up for lunch?" Alya asked, looking at Marinette and Adrien when the breaktime bell rang.

"Uhm, sorry, Alya.  Adrien and I have plans," Marinette said, trying to catch her friend's eye.

"Sure we can't tag along?" Nino asked.  "You guys pick the best restaurants."

Marinette gawked as Adrien shot his best friend the first real glare she'd ever seen on his face.

"We're even fine if it's one of those geeky cat cafes you guys are so weirdly into," Alya offered, stuffing the last of her things away.  While it was nice that she'd stopped constantly trying to throw Marinette and Adrien together, she  **knew** her bestie still carried a torch for the blond model, and it would have been nice for her to get a clue on this.

"Sorry," Adrien said.  "It's a lunch date.  For two," he said, pointedly.  "You guys are just going to have to find your own food."

Nino's face went surprised before he shot Adrien double finger-guns.  "Sure dude.   **No** problem."  He gestured for them to go ahead without him and Alya.  "You guys enjoy yourselves now.  Don't be in a rush to get back here."

"Text me if you need an excuse," Alya leaned over to whisper, positively radiating glee.

Adrien stood up and held a hand out to Marinette, smiling shyly.  "C'mon Mari.  Our ride's here."

Marinette took his hand, a little surprised that she was still breathing.  Holding hands was not something she and Adrien did.  Yes they hugged, sometimes wrestled, and even had tickle fights (he was impressively ticklish), but they didn't hold hands.  Though it was something she and Chat Noir had recently started doing, and it left her just as giddy, because she was still trying to believe that he'd agreed to this.  That he liked both sides of her, and now Adrien did, too.

"Sorry," he said quietly as he led her out of the building.  "I hope it's okay that I called this a date.  I didn't really tell you in advance that I was thinking in those terms."

She squeezed his hand.  "It's okay.  I still would've said yes."

"Really?"  His pretty green eyes went wide and his smile somehow got brighter.  "Okay.  Um.  I was really  **hoping** you might feel that way, I kind of thought you might, but I wasn't sure."  He rambled when he was nervous.  She could relate.  "Because I definitely like you Mari, way more than as a friend.  But…"  He faltered.

"There's a complication," she said knowingly.

He nodded.  "Let's wait 'til we get to the cafe, okay?  I don't want anyone to overhear this.  It could… reflect wrong on either of us."

"Yeah."

The ride to the cafe was silent.  Marinette wasn't certain what to talk about in front of Adrien's driver and bodyguard, and Adrien himself was silent.  He continued to hold her hand, but he bounced his knee nervously.

"Hey Adrien," she said quietly.  "I think I already know what this is about, so… you can relax, yeah?"

He let out a long slow sigh.  "Yeah.  Okay."

She spent the rest of the silent ride pushing away the worry that she was ultimately going to be an enormous disappointment to both Adrien and Chat.  She liked herself just fine, but she was definitely not as shiny and cool as Ladybug when she wasn't magically enhanced.  She should probably have a talk with Chat to remind him that she was a clumsy mess out of the suit.  She doubted she was refined enough for Adrien's father's social circle, but they could cross that bridge, or avoid it, when they came to it, right?

At the cafe, they ordered their lunch and found a small corner table to talk at.   "All right, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh man, this is harder than I thought it would be."  He looked down at their joined hands in the middle of the little round table.  "So I've been hanging out with Ladybug for months, and I'm sure you can understand why I haven't told anyone about this."

She nodded.  "I've been doing the same.  With Chat Noir."

"Yeah, so I've heard.  Anyway, a couple nights ago, Ladybug told me that she's dating Chat and she also wants to date me… does this sound familiar?"

Marinette giggled.  "Yeah."  She was sure she was blushing now.  "I'm dating Chat, too."  She shook her free hand in the air.  "And it's not some sleazy thing.  It's…"

"You guys are poly," he interjected.

She nodded.  "Yeah.  I mean, I'm currently dating only Chat because the other guy I want to date… uh, I haven't asked yet.  But, it's just going to be the two.  It's not like a open relationship where we're all just dating a bunch of people with no commitments."  She shut her mouth, realizing she was babbling.

He chuckled.  "I know.  And I get it."  He brought her hand up to his lips.  "Because as much as I love Ladybug, I also want to be with you.  And it's just the two of you for me."  He shrugged.  "So I was wondering…"

"Yes," Marinette blurted, wanting to make it easier for him.  She giggled when he stared at her in surprise.  "I mean, I want to date you, too.  You and Chat.  Though probably not at the same time, at least not right away.  So… uh, if that's what you wanted to ask, my answer's yes."

She saw the tension melt out of his shoulders.  "So… you want to be my girlfriend in addition to being Chat's?" he confirmed.

"Yeah."  She stared at him a moment.  "I mean, as long as you want to be my boyfriend in addition to being Ladybug's."

"Can I kiss you?" he asked.

Marinette nodded.  For all that she now had all this dating going on now, she'd only gotten a proper kiss from Chat, and that was last night when she was Ladybug.  She'd kissed both boys on the face as Marinette or Ladybug, but she was ready for some real kisses.  "That would be nice."  She stood partway and nudged her chair to the right, closer to him.

Smiling, he cupped her chin and bent to kiss her.

His lips were warm, soft, and impossibly familiar.  She reached up and caught the collar of his shirt, where she half-expected a bell to be, pulling him closer.  His resultant gasp was also very familiar.  She leaned back just enough to break the kiss.  "Chaton?" she whispered.

"My Lady?"  He straightened up to look at her better.  "Oh.  It  **is** you."  His fingers slid up to caress her cheek.  He wasn't smiling, yet he somehow looked incredibly happy all the same.

She stared at him, a bit stunned.  She'd agonized over both sides of him.  She'd researched and redefined herself because of it.  Only to find out he was both of the guys she loved.  "How did I not see it?"

"No wonder I can't beat Ladybug at video games."  He shook his head chuckling.

"You're ticklish in all the same places."

"Yeah."

"I guess this explains why I had the same twitterpated feeling when I was with either of you.  What with you being the  **same** person and all."  She looked down at their hands, still joined on the table.  "So… uhm, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment, but you should know that I'm happy about this.  I mean, it's going to require a  **minor** adjustment of mindset and expectations, but this is a good thing."  She giggled.  She was definitely going to have to shelve some of the more steamy fantasies she'd been entertaining.

Adrien snorted.  "I guess this makes our day-to-day relationship management a bit more straight-forward.  And I can just call  **you** to go out with either of you."  He shook his head.  "This is  **not** how I imagined this conversation going… or ending."

"We're okay, though, right?" she asked, her grip on his hand tightening with nervousness.

"Yeah.  More than okay, I think."  He drew her hand closer, then pressed it flat to his chest.  "Honestly, all the poly stuff I've been reading about communication, it still applies.  We know, now, that we can talk to each other about how we're feeling and other complicated things."

It was a really good point.  

"So I guess our poly circle, square, whatever has collapsed, and we're starting with a clean slate, just the two of us," he said, his hand gently rubbing hers.  "Would you be interested in dating me, Marinette?  I'm totally smitten by you."

She laughed.  "Yes, Adrien.  I would love to date you.  Apparently all versions of you."

**Author's Note:**

> This is final story in this series for ML Fluff Month.
> 
> While this ended up not being a poly relationship after all, I think it was important to have the characters approach it this way, because at the outset, from all appearances it was a relationship involving multiple people. Too often fanfiction (and mainstream media) creates an either/or love triangle, and it's essential to note that this binary focus on relationships is not the only option. Katniss could have been with both Peeta and Gale. Alanna could have been with both George and Jonathan. I know too many people who spent too much of their lives unhappy because they didn't know that the mainstream/normative option wasn't the only one. There are also a lot of harmful misconceptions about these relationships that I would like to see dismantled.
> 
> Thanks for reading. I'm also over on tumblr, so feel free to stop by and visit if you'd like. My content is multi-fandom, with a lot of ML. http://freedom-shamrock.tumblr.com


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